Believe
by Xxpearlsizexx
Summary: "Their eyes met. Suddenly, they were alone in the crowd." Or, Austin and Ally had no luck when it came to love, until they met each other.
1. Chapter 1

To say Austin had little luck with love was an understatement. Actually, everything in the universe seemed to go against him when he was in love.

He's had more girlfriends in the past two years than he could count, and none of them lasted more than three months. Ninety percent of them ended badly and Austin didn't understand why. He tried so hard to be the perfect boyfriend and maintain his relationships. But, he was unaware that that was his problem. He tried _too_ hard.

He tended to become a little clingy in his relationships, a result of him trying so hard. Most girls thought it was sweet in the beginning, finding it endearing that the boy cared enough to put in so much effort to make them happy. But, they soon grew sick of the act after a month or two.

He had no trouble getting girls, it was making them stay that was the difficult part. Austin was an extremely good-looking man. He had the kind of face that made people stop in their tracks to admire his beauty. He had tousled blond hair, which was thick and radiant. His eyes were a captivating shade of hazel, and if you were close enough you would notice the flecks of rich green within them. He had a prominent jaw along with sharp cheekbones. All in all, he had the whole Adonis look going on, making all the girls weak in the knees with just one look.

Unfortunately, his clinginess was a deal breaker and usually drove his partners away after only a few weeks. Austin remained oblivious to the fact he was clingy; usually girls broke up with him saying they weren't ready for a relationship at the moment to spare his feelings.

To say _Ally_ had little luck with love was an understatement. Although, her problem was quite the opposite from Austin's. She couldn't get guys to become interested in her, never mind have relationships with them.

She was beautiful, any guy would admit that, but most people found her boring. This wasn't particularly true; she just had a strange sense of humor that only a few people understood. She was also incredibly awkward, which everyone mistook as her being weird.

Ally drew men in with her sleek chestnut hair and piercing dark eyes, the kind that were intense, but had a sense of warmness to them. She had clear porcelain skin and a full, pink pout, complete with two little dimples on either side of her lips. She almost always looked as if she had just stepped off the runway.

But once Ally opened her mouth, things went south. Every time she met a new guy, she would tell herself 'Be cool, be cool', but that would fly out the window before she even said her first sentence.

Neither of them has ever had a serious relationship and at this point, they had both completely given up on love. That is, until they met each other.

* * *

 **This chapter was more of an introduction than a real chapter, which is why it's so short.**

 **Please review and let me know if I should continue this story!**


	2. Chapter 2

Ally sprinted down the busy sidewalks of New York and unsuccessfully tried to dodge everyone around her. She threw the occasional 'sorry' over her shoulder, not having time to give them a proper apology. She was late. Her ankles were screaming out in protest and she was sure they were red and swollen.

With all her failed "relationships" (they probably don't count as relationships as they almost never got past the first date, but she chose to believe they were to feel better about herself), Ally decided to give online dating a try. This was her first date from a dating websiteand she hoped it would be worth her time since this guy she didn't even know asked her to meet him at a bar in _Brooklyn_ of all places.

Ally lived in Manhattan and she was positive that a Manhattan-Brooklyn relationship wasn't going to work, but she decided to give it a try anyways. Unfortunately, she was already twenty minutes late, which probably won't make the best first impression. Ally took a cab about three-quarters of the way there until she realized she forgot her wallet. She sheepishly told the cab driver, who immediately pulled the car over and kicked her out, forcing her to walk the rest of the way.

She finally reached her destination and prayed her date hadn't left yet. She pulled the heavy door open and took in the lively atmosphere. She walked further into the club, and the music was bouncing off the walls and into her ears. The room was packed full of people, both on the dance floor and in the bar area.

Ally pushed past people and searched for her date. After about ten minutes, her heart sank. _He probably left_ , she thought before she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and her eyes landed on a gorgeous blond.

"Are you Ally Dawson?" He asked, his voice low and husky.

Ally nodded awkwardly. "Um, yeah. I-I'm guessing you're my date for the evening?" She attempted to sound smooth and witty, but instead, it came out cloddish and squeaky. She silently cursed herself and kept her eyes locked on the floor.

He chuckled, which took Ally off guard. She looked up with wide eyes and got a good look at the stranger in front of her. For the most part, he looked like his profile picture, which surprised her. She's heard all these stories of people using fake pictures on their profiles and was worried that would happen to her tonight.

The first thing Ally noticed was his height. He was _tall_. She was naturally short, and he stood a whole two heads taller than her. At least she wore heels tonight that gave her about more three inches, but he still towered over her. The next thing she noticed was how attractive he was. He had short, golden hair paired with dark, alluring eyes. Everything about him just seemed to scream _sexy_.

He was looking at her expectantly and she realized she had been staring. She shook her head, as if she was in a trance, and stared back at him.

He raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

"What?"

He looked at her, his face full of confusion. "I asked if you wanted to get out of here? Find another place to continue the date? This place is usually not busy, but I guess I forgot they hosted happy hour on Fridays."

Ally nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that." She was surprised to hear voice come out graceful. She was proud of herself and grinned at him.

He smiled back. "Let's go then," He put his hand on her back and led her to the exit. He held the door open like a gentleman and held out his arm. She linked her arm with his and smiled to herself, starting to like this guy already. "I know this restaurant just around the corner."

"That sounds great…" She trailed off.

"Oh my god, I never introduced myself, did I? I'm sorry." He flashed her an apologetic smile. "I'm Axel, it's nice to meet you, Ally Dawson." He playfully took her hand and kissed it.

She giggled, and she felt her face warmup, undoubtedly blushing. They reached the restaurant and once they walked inside, Ally noticed how upscale and modern the place was. She was impressed.

They were led to a table for two and Axel pulled out a chair for her. The pair sat down, and Ally grabbed a menu in front of her. She cringed at the prices of the food, everything was so expensive. She glanced up at Axel then back down at her menu. She didn't understand any of the names on the menu. They were all fancy, and she had absolutely no idea what any of it meant. She suddenly felt out of place.

"Anything look good?" Axel asked.

"Yeah, everything sounds so delicious, its's hard to choose!" Ally lied.

He nodded in agreement, and the atmosphere around them turned awkward.

Ally frowned. Everything was going so great up until now, too. _I guess sitting down and having a conversation is different than exchanging small talk_.

She sighed. It looked like she was going to be the one to start a conversation first. She was terrible at that sort of thing.

"So…" She started off awkwardly. "Tell me everything about you." He looked at her weirdly. She laughed nervously. "Uh, I m-mean tell me about yourself."

He shook his head and offered her a small smile. "Um, well… I love poetry."

"Me too!" Ally has never read a poem in her life. She hated lying, but she wanted him to like her, so she decided it was okay just this once.

Axel perked up. "Really?" He cleared his throat. "'Just like moons and like suns, with the certainty of tides, just like hopes springing high, still I'll rise.'" He stared at her expectantly.

She widened her eyes. He wanted her to say next line.

Crap.

 _This_ is why she hated lying. The truth always has a funny way of coming out, and she just learned that the hard way.

 _It's alright, it's alright, play it cool and maybe he won't know I'm lying._

Ally faked a smile. "That's beautiful. What's it called?"

Axel's eyebrows scrunched together. "Still I Rise? Maya Angelou? You seriously haven't heard of it?"

Ally shook her head. "I guess not."

And for the second time that night, they fell into an awkward silence.

It had been about five minutes with no one saying a word, and Ally was praying for the server to come over already and break the silence. They glanced at each other and exchanged stiff smiles.

"Look-" They said at the same time. They laughed.

"You first." They laughed again.

Axel's laughter died down and he gave her a serious look. "Look Ally, I'm sorry," This is it. The part where the guy told her he wasn't interested in her. "I'm just really nervous. Ever since I saw your profile online, I've been wanting to meet you." Well, this took an unexpected turn. "And now that I finally have, I'm incredibly nervous. You're a beautiful woman and I just _really_ want this date to go well and-" He cut himself off. "And I'm rambling. I'm sorry." He looked down, sheepishly.

Ally was in awe. Never in her life has a guy been _nervous_ because of _her._ It's always the other way around.

She shook her head and placed her hand on his. His head shot up and he stared at her. "Don't be." She smiled. "If you can't tell already, I'm nervous, too."

They laughed and just like that, the tension disappeared, and Ally felt more comfortable. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her cheek and she looked at Axel. She noticed his eyes on her lips and slowly, he started to lean in. Time seemed to slow down, and it felt like minutes went by, but it was only a few seconds. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, their lips connected.

Ally snorted after a few seconds and broke out into laughter. Axel pulled away. He looked hurt. This made her stop laughing.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry. I-I don't know what came over me." He started to lean away, and Ally took his hands. "No, don't."

He smiled. She leaned in this time and their lips touched again. Ally seemed to be fine this time and was enjoying the kiss. She felt Axel smile into the kiss and for some reason, that set her off.

"I-I'm sor-ha-ha-ry. I really don't know why- ha-ha- I'm laughing." Ally meant the apology and felt horrible, but it didn't sound that way to Axel since she was still cracking up. He leaned back against his chair, his arms folded and a scowl on his face, but she didn't even notice.

Ally was hunched over and almost fell out of her chair multiple times while laughing. She couldn't stop, and she didn't know why.

This was a perfect example of why Ally was considered awkward and 'weird'.

It took around three minutes, but she finally stopped laughing and straightened herself out. She was prepared to apologize for her behavior and blame it on her nerves, but when she looked up, Axel was gone.

Ally groaned, her head falling onto the table with a loud 'thump'. This was the first guy to express interest in her in like… well ever, and she blew it.

"I'm guessing I'm not going to have to take your order?" A voice said from behind her.

Ally's head was still on the table. "Oh sure, _now_ you decide-" She lifted her head up and stopped midsentence.

An amused blond waiter was standing next to the table. He was probably the most stunning human being she's ever seen. She looked him up and down, not caring if she made it obvious that she was checking him out. Her eyes paused on his nametag.

It read _Austin_.

* * *

 **Thank you to the people who reviewed and followed the story, it really means a lot!**

 **I have a lot of ideas for this story and I'm excited to share it with you guys.**

 **Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

He had not believed in love at first sight until she walked into his life.

Austin was sitting down at the bar and relaxing, one of the rare times he actually had a break that evening. Not long after, he was informed by one of his coworkers that he needed to take care of the people at table four. He sighed, getting up on his tired feet and walking towards the couple at table four. Austin abruptly stopped walking once he laid his eyes on the girl.

She was the most beautiful women he's ever laid eyes on.

Out of nowhere, Austin's heart started beating rapidly and his hands became clammy. His brows furrowed, confused as to why he was reacting this way, and shook his head. He was about to go take their drink order, but again stopped abruptly. This time, however, he stopped because the couple seemed to be having an intimate moment.

He fought with himself on what to do; should he walk away and come back later? Or interrupt them? He kept glancing between them and his seat at the bar before settling on the latter. As he was walking back to the bar, he heard the girl laugh loudly and assumed they were ready to order. He turned around, prepared to walk up to them, but _again_ stopped walking when he saw the tense situation.

The girl had a guilty face on while the guy looked hurt. Putting the pieces together, Austin winced, feeling bad for the dude. It's never good when the girl laughs after you kiss her. It looked like the guy got over it since seconds later they were kissing again. Austin waited a few seconds to see if there'd be a repeat of last time, before deciding it was safe to walk away.

Not even seconds later, though, he heard laughter again. This time twice as loud. _Ouch_ , Austin thought, _poor guy_.

He stopped walking for the _fourth_ time. Austin was starting to get tired of this. He looked like an idiot, walking back and fourth like that. So, he decided he'd just walk over there and thought the couple would just have to deal with him interrupting. However, when he got there, the boy was gone. The girl was still laughing and almost fell out of her seat a couple times, making Austin chuckle.

It felt like an eternity for him, but she finally stopped laughing only for her to groan and put her head on the table, undoubtedly noticing her date was gone.

He waited a few seconds before saying: "I'm guessing I'm not going to have to take your order?"

He heard the girl huff. "Oh sure, _now_ you decide- "Her voice sounded muffled until it stopped. Austin watched her lift her pretty head and smirked when he saw her not so subtly checking him out.

He waited until her eyes made their way back to his face before he smugly said, "So, it's safe to assume there won't be another date?" The girl rolled her chocolate brown eyes and scoffed.

"How about you take my order instead of standing there mocking me, _Austin_?" Austin raised his eyebrows, taken back by her attitude. But he supposed he deserved it.

"Wait, how did you kn- "

"Nametag." She cut him off, pointing to his vest.

"R-right, I knew that." He stuttered inconvincibly. _Smooth, real smooth, Austin._

She smiled at him. A genuine one. One look at that smile made Austin's breath hitch in his throat and his brain became mush.

The girl held out her hand. "I'm Ally."

Austin grabbed onto Ally's hand and sparks instantly ran through both of their arms, startling them. Their eyes met. Suddenly, they were alone in the crowd. The busy and loud atmosphere of the restaurant faded away as they stared at each other. They were both in a daze.

Austin was the first to break out of it. "I'm Austin." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "And you already know that. Sorry." _Stupid!_

Meanwhile, while Austin was busy cursing at himself, Ally was in awe. She was actually managing _not_ to be awkward towards Austin. And even more surprising, _he_ was acting awkward towards _her_. Wow. Ally was on fire tonight!

Despite, you know, driving her date away.

Austin's eyes snapped opened when he heard Ally giggle. "So, what can I get for you, Ally?"

Ally's eyebrows scrunched together before realizing what he meant. "Oh, right! Um, I'll have an iced tea and the baked macaroni and cheese." Those were about the only two things Ally understood on the menu. Austin nodded his head and turned on his heel, ready to put her order in.

Ally was having a mental debate and decided to be bold for once in her life. "Austin?" She called after the blond. Thankfully, he didn't get to far. He turned around and approached her again. "Um, I was just wondering when your shift ends?"

He raised his eyebrows. _Well, I was definitely not expecting that._ He glanced down at his watch. _10:15_. Austin eyes widened. His shift ended at ten. Last time he checked, he had a half hour left of his shift. After the whole date fiasco and talking with Ally, time really flew by.

"It actually ended fifteen minutes ago." He chuckled. "Why?"

Ally gulped. She was starting to lose her confidence. "Well… I-I was thinking maybe you'd like to join me?" Austin's eyes widened so much Ally swore they were about to fall out of their sockets. "I-I mean if you don't want to that's perfectly fine. I just have no one to eat with and if you're not doing- "

"I'd love to join you." He cut her off.

She smiled. "Great."

* * *

Austin put in Ally's order, and his own since he was joining her, and changed into normal clothes.

They were now halfway through their dinner and Ally was glad she asked him to join her. She feared it would be awkward, but after Austin returned with their food and they got comfortable with each other, it proved to be the opposite. They talked about anything and everything. They actually had a lot in common, but they were also very different. That made for some interesting conversations.

Like now.

They were arguing over ice cream.

"Oh, come on!" Austin cried. "Rocky road is the best ice cream flavor."

"No, vanilla is."

"Vanilla is so basic."

Ally shrugged her shoulders with a smirk on her lips. "Then call me basic."

"Not to mention, boring."

"Then call me boring." Ally fought back stubbornly.

"Something tells me you're far from boring."

They both laugh. Over dinner, the pair kept inching closer and closer over the table and now they were so close their noses were almost touching. As if they just noticed how close they really were, Austin and Ally slowly stopped laughing and looked into each other's eyes.

Maybe it was too soon, but nothing has felt more right to the two than this. Their lips were about to touch before they heard an 'Ahem'.

The pair jumped at the sudden noise and pulled apart. In front of the table stood the owner. "Austin, it's midnight, the restaurant is closing. Please go take your date someplace else."

Ally's eyes widened. _Midnight?!_ Has she really been there that long?

"Yeah, of course." Austin replied. "Let us just pay first."

The man nodded his head before sending Austin a wink. He whispered into Austin's ear, but it was loud enough for Ally to hear. "She's a real beauty, this one."

Austin's cheeks turned an adorable pink shade. "Daddddd." Austin groaned.

Ally's eyebrows furrowed. _Dad?_

The man just smiled and walked away. Ally voiced her confusion. "Dad?"

"Yeah. My family owns this restaurant."

"Oh. That's cool."

Austin just nodded while he took out his wallet. He took out enough money to take care of both of their meals. Ally shook her head. "Oh no, you don't have to pay for me. I can take care of my meal."

"No, I want to pay." Austin sent her a charming smile.

"I insist." Ally reached for her wallet. When she found her pocket was empty, she panicked for a moment. She calmed down when she remembered she forgot it, but immediately cursed herself for being so stupid. What if Austin hadn't joined her? How would she have paid for her meal then ? "Um, never mind. You, uh, can pay." Ally scratched the back of her neck.

Austin looked at her, amused yet confused. "What made you suddenly change your mind?"

"I may have forgot my wallet at home…" Ally replied sheepishly.

"Well, then, you're lucky that I joined you. It must be fate."

Ally felt her face heat up. "Yeah, must be."

The pair paid and walked out of the restaurant. "I would love to continue this Ally, but I should head home. I have an early shift tomorrow." Austin told her as they stood in front of the restaurant.

"Of course. I should go home, too"

"I had a very nice time tonight. I'm glad you asked me to join you."

"Yeah, me too. Thank you for making my night more interesting."

"Oh, no, I should thank _you_. I thought I was going to die of boredom before you came in. I thoroughly enjoyed your little date." He teased her. Ally whacked his arm playfully while Austin cracked up.

"Let's just say I don't have the best luck when it comes to love and tonight only proves it."

"Well, not all of tonight." He winked at her. Ally grinned. "Goodnight, Ally."

"Goodnight, Austin."

They exchanged smiles before they started walking home. Which appeared to be the same direction. They glanced awkwardly at each other.

"Well, that's awkward." Austin said. "I hate when this happens."

Ally giggled. "Me too."

They drifted into a comfortable silence.

After a few minutes, their hands brushed. Austin was dying to hold her hand, but he didn't know if it would be appropriate. He didn't think about it much longer since he felt a small, slightly clammy hand hesitantly take his. He glanced at Ally, who was still looking forward with a small smile on her face.

After ten minutes, Ally stopped in front of a bus stop. Austin sent her a questioning look. "I live all the way in Manhattan. Thankfully, there's one last bus coming in twenty minutes." She answered.

"It's the middle of the night, Ally. Think about all the creeps you'll run into." She rolled her eyes at this. He started pulling her away from the bus stop and down the sidewalk. "Come on. I'll take you home."

Ally looked around. "Um, how exactly?" She questioned.

"My apartment is just around the corner. I have a car."

"Oh, okay. If you have a car, why not take it to work?"

Austin shrugged. "I usually like to walk to work. Exercise and all." Ally nodded her head in understanding. "And… we're here."

They were in front of a fancy apartment building. _Wow, impressive._ Ally thought. Austin lead her to an expensive looking car. "Since it's so late, there shouldn't be any traffic." Austin stated, opening the passenger-side door for Ally. He jogged to the other side and got in the car. "So, where do you live?" She gave him her address and they were on their way.

Austin was right; there was no traffic and they got there in twenty minutes. Austin parked on the side of the road and the pair turned towards each other. "Thanks for the ride home. You didn't have to do that."

Austin smiled. "I know, but I wanted to."

Before Ally lost her newfound confidence, she took a pen out of her purse and took his hand. She scribbled something down quickly. "Call me." Before Austin could reply, she was out of the car and disappeared into her apartment building.

Austin shook his head, a huge grin on his face. This night turned out a lot better than he had thought it would, that's for sure.

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 **Thank you to everyone that reviewed last chapter!**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter, and sorry if the ending seems a bit rushed!**


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